Renault Scénic Vision: the Scénic reborn

While Renault announced last year the discontinuation of the Talisman, Espace, but also Scénic models for 2022, the diamond manufacturer has just presented the Scénic Vision. We met the teams and you will see that this concept car foreshadows a totally different model from the minivan of yesteryear. A real “Renaulution”?

Perhaps you have heard of the “Renaulution”. According to Luca De Meo, the general manager of Renault, this strategic plan for the Renault group aims to ” transform business strategy, moving it from volume to value “. And to add: We are going to give more strength to our brands, each with its clear and differentiated territory “. No less than seven vehicles are expected in this new era. The iconic Renault 5 in its 100% electric version is one of them, but it has not yet seen the light of day. Unlike the all-new Mégane E-Tech that we tested in our columns and which is also part of this Renaulution.

Let’s come to the novelty of this month of May, namely the Renault Scénic Vision concept, or how the diamond brand is reviving this model which it has announced will stop production, at least in its thermal version. So what to expect? We met the teams during the presentation of this model. They share with us the main avenues of work that will materialize on the production model by 2024, but not only.

H₂ Tech: an “electric and hydrogen” hybrid engine

As you know, there was a time when concept cars had a magical side. Manufacturers exploited these show cars to put whatever they wanted in there. Even if it means being “futuristic”, you might as well present vehicles with autonomous driving, seats that swivel on themselves, giant screens everywhere and personal assistants of all kinds. From now on, the big manufacturers have calmed down a bit and are offering things that are much more feasible in the more or less long term.

We will discuss the design part just after, but before that let’s talk about motorization. The Scénic Vision is indeed a 100% electric vehicle, but with this model the diamond brand is trying out a different form of electrification. In this case, we can speak of a hybrid platform since it combines both a 160 kW electric motor coupled to a 40 kWh battery (already integrated in the Mégane E-Tech) and a 16 kW fuel cell. .

In other words, we can speak of an electric and hydrogen hybridization, which can also be interpreted in the same way as the technology of the range extenderthanks to which this concept claims a range of 800 km.

Renault evokes the example of a Paris-Marseille trip with a single stop, not to recharge the battery, but only the hydrogen tank and that in just a few minutes. But this is currently very theoretical. Indeed, hydrogen charging stations are extremely rare in the territory. However, we have plenty of time to come to this, the technology staged in the concept car should not land on production vehicles before 2030.

©Renault

A hybridization therefore not impossible, but far too premature at the present time and even without much interest, except that of demonstrating a new principle which is intended to be greener. Indeed, the Renault Scénic Vision concept ” is a vehicle with a carbon footprint that is 75% lower than that of an electric vehicle like the electric Mégane E-Tech. Its battery is up to 60% less carbon-intensive than an equivalent battery, thanks to the use of short loops and a supply of low-carbon minerals, and the use of low-carbon energy to assemble and produce the battery “. When such a technology is about to see the light of day, the experts will not fail to express themselves on the overall energy/carbon balance of it.

Scénic died under the minivan era to be reborn better

” The name Scénic is not the name of an automobile shape or silhouette, because for me Scénic is a concept of the cabin, travel and life on board and that is what is important. And so if minivan silhouettes are no longer relevant because they are less popular, then the exterior must be renewed to provoke the crush while it still fulfills its Scénic mission inside “. This postulate is that of Gilles Vidal, the design director of the Renault brand during our interview.

After four generations occupying the ranks of minivans, the Scénic planned for 2024 no longer wishes to position itself in this segment, but not clearly in that of SUVs either. With dimensions of 4.49m long, 1.9m wide, 1.59m high and a wheelbase of 2.83m, it is described as a vehicle apart.

And a fortiori, this applies above all to this concept car which gives pride of place to aerodynamics, as Gilles Vidal reminds us. Some characteristic lines that improve CO₂ have been exploited to the maximum, or almost, so as not to fall into the too divisive design of a hyper aerodynamic vehicle. The Scénic Vision is on the whole very low (1.59 m as we said) which excludes it from the SUV category and this is not the only reason besides.

As the design director tells us, ” the ground clearance is low, the wheel arches are very close to the tires, the emphasis is on efficiency. So these are not MPV or SUV codes. It’s a new device in the landscape that was born from what we wanted it to do and how to make it attractive “.

Still, from our point of view, we can’t help but find it resembling a certain Volkswagen ID.4, at least for the rear. Nope ?

A futuristic cockpit that adapts to the occupants

Talking with designers about the story surrounding the creation of their “baby” is always part of these very pleasant human experiences.

We could describe this Scénic Vision to you down to the smallest detail, down to the light signature which takes the form of a diamond. Diamond that also lines the entire upper part of the bumper. Among the explanations and the efforts made, we particularly appreciate the history that surrounds the painting.

You might think that the Scénic Vision is simply black, but in reality the pigment was extracted from the carbon present in the atmosphere, which allowed Renault to obtain a black powder that was then reused in the paint.

© D. Nogueira for Clubic

Ditto for the floor, which is made from recycled milk bottles, as well as industrial PVC piping. Because yes, this concept car also places great emphasis on eco-design and creation in short cycles. So, to put it simply, 70% of the materials used in the vehicle are recycled and more than 95% of the vehicle is recyclable, including the battery.

But what interests us at Clubic is on the technology side. Renault considers that a vehicle ” pleasant “must adapt to its occupants and that is why it has recourse here to a system of unlocking by facial recognition.

Once installed on board, the driver finds his own seat settings, his multimedia preferences, but he is also monitored by a steering wheel equipped with sensors capable of analyzing his physical state, in particular the risks of drowsiness. A camera located at the top, in the center of the windshield, ensures that everything is going well in the cabin.

And if in your driver profile you have indicated that you have sight problems, then the small screens placed on the dashboard are capable of slightly magnifying their typography. Ditto if you have hearing problems with the speakers built into each headrest. Not only do these allow each passenger to create an audio bubble in the cabin, but it allows communication between the front and the rear.

Outside, it’s impossible not to be challenged by these imposing 21-inch wheels. These also have a particularity: they are full, or almost.

Indeed, on the metal rim, Renault has plated a kind of hubcaps equipped with flaps (mounted on springs) which close when the vehicle is traveling at high speed. As a result, aerodynamics are improved on fast lanes and, in town for example, the flaps remain open to cool the brakes.

Finally, last but not least, the traditional digital speedometer and the central screen have been replaced by a panoramic screen which overhangs the dashboard from side to side. On site, readability is difficult given the very bright conditions, but we can indeed distinguish the vehicle speed indications or even a map.

However, at Renault, we mainly highlight the vehicle’s ability to display a video feedback of what is happening just in front of the car. Another way to display the return of the cameras during your parking maneuvers, for example.

It’s hard not to be surprised by the rendering of these panels that dress the dashboard and the storm doors. These have the particularity of creating luminous atmospheres inside this massively two-tone passenger compartment (white and black) by exploiting the diffraction of light.

If the assessment of the result remains a matter of taste, we found the efficiency remarkable. The density of the color is such that it really looks like an applied paint.

There is still so much to say about the Scénic Vision. In a way, the teams of the diamond brand have convinced us that it is possible to review the design of our vehicles so that they are at the same time innovative, spacious, comfortable and, above all, that their design can be much more eco-responsible. This, of course, even if these ideas are difficult to transpose to production vehicles for reasons of feasibility, safety or cost (especially cost, by the way).